Come help us restore the nature trail at Cleveland
State! Many hiking club members have used this trail for years,
until a recent land sale to developers cut off one end of the loop.
We'll dig in a short connector to re-establish the circuit. Some
tools are available; please bring a shovel or other implement as
desired. Lunch can be at a nearby eatery, or bring if you wish to
eat on the trail.

Cleveland State requires a signed
release form from
each participant. Click on the
link, fill it out, print it off, and then sign the form. Or you
can print it off and fill it in by hand. Please bring the form to
the meeting on Thursday, or to the outing on Saturday. (Blank copies
will be available at the Cleveland State campus). One form will
cover a volunteer through the end of 2008.

With enough help, we
can finish this project on the 12th. Thanks to Suzanne Bennett of
Cleveland State for making this volunteer opportunity available.
Please contact the trip leader if you plan to go

Directions to the Trailhead: Meet
at Cleveland State in the parking lot by the tennis courts at 7:00 AM.
If this is too early and your coffee hasn't kicked in yet, please be
there for the 8:00 shift.

Post Trip Report:
Will be posted along with pictures after the trip and this page will be
moved to the "Past Activities" section of this website.

October 4, 2008: The nature trail
at Cleveland State Community College traverses part of
a state-owned mini-nature preserve on the side of Candies
Creek Ridge. Fox, deer and a host of other wildlife call
this little undeveloped island of mature
forest home. For decades it has been a valuable community
resource, used by those seeking both quiet contemplation and
heart-pumping recreation.

A recent land sale broke the
loop on one end of the trail, and the Cherokee Hiking
Club has been assisting Cleveland State by working on
a new segment to reconnect the upper and lower pathways. The
restored circuit will be one mile in length (a
1.6-mile roundtrip walk from the car), with a
200-foot overall elevation gain.

On October 4th, we'll complete
the connector and continue with improvements there, and
possibly at other places along the trail. A short opening
ceremony will take place with the unveiling of one of the
new signposts. Please bring your favorite trail tool
(shovel, rake, mattock, etc. Some tools will be available
for use onsite.) and join us Saturday morning at Cleveland
State at 8:00 AM. (Park at the tennis courts.) If it's a
pretty day, work will go on as long as there are laborers
willing. (Bring lunch if you like.)

Leader: Diana Ristom,
423-476-2945

There is potential for
restoration of much more of the original trail to the north,
also for improving a length of currently used treadway to
the south -- a lot more than can get done in one day. Watch
for more outings upcoming.

Cleveland State requires that a
signed release
form be on file for each participant. One form will
cover a volunteer through the end of 2008. Open the file and either fill out, print, and
bring it with you, or print and fill in by hand, OR just
fill out a blank copy on Saturday. (Suzanne Bennett will
make them available.)

Post-Trip Report:
THE TRAIL CONNECTOR IS NOW OPEN

A total of fifteen workers made a good turnout for the
opening of the new trail connector at Cleveland State.
Eight members greeted seven from CSCC, including four
students, before breaking into two groups - one brushing
and one digging - and heading up the ridge. The
additional help allowed us to get double
the planned work done, much to the delight of Suzanne
Bennett, CSCC's horticulturalist who oversees the
80-acre grounds.

President Randy Morris stood with CSCC president Dr.
Carl Hite at the repaired trailhead marker to get things
started. Both expressed appreciation for all of the
volunteers' efforts. Dr. Hite, it turns out, is a
skilled and hardworking trail builder (though he may not
have been aware of that before Saturday!). He, Randy
and others spoke informally during this
outing about extending and improving the trail as a
community resource, and even connecting it to the
Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway.

Many thanks to all who contributed to making this first
project, the restoration of a trail loop, a big success.
On this outing (visitors underlined) were: Chuck
Barkley, Suzanne Bennett, Jane Bohannon, Alena
Campbell, Joseph Campbell, David Flower,
Debbie Flower, Edmond Gray, Carl Hite, Katie
Humphrys, Joanne Jackson, Randy Morris, Eric
Richards, Bill Ristom, and leader Diana Ristom.
Special thanks also to Gary Smith, who's done a lot of
work on the trail but couldn't make this event.